Lotv-Wage Imports Hurt Sale Of American Rugs
How would you like to live on 19
cents an hour?
That is the average wage of the
worker in Japan.
Or how would you like to live on
the average pay workers get in Bel
gium which is 48 cents an hour, or
France which is 46 cents an hour or
Britian which is 47 cents an hour?
It is nothing new that America has
the highest standard of living in the
world. But not many realize how low
wages are in foreign countries.
When an American carpet and rug
mill sells its products in the American
market it has to compete with the
imported rugs made at low wages. One
of the reasons there isn’t more work
in the American mills is that foreign-
made carpets made with low-wage
labor, are cutting down on the sale of
American carpets made at decent pay.
Tariff Is Safeguard
The only safeguard the men and
women in the carpet mills in America
have against low-wage imports of car
pets is the tariff and there is a drive
on now to cut the tariff.
If that happens it is bound to hurt.
If the tariff is cut it will mean fewer
jobs for the American worker; and less
hours of work per week. Just as sure
as two and two equals four, Americans
will lose jobs if more foreign-made,
low-wage carpets are imported into the
U.S.A.
Rate Is Increasing
Right now the foreign-made carpets
are coming into the U.S.A. at a faster
and faster rate because the tariffs have
been cut steadily.
In 1930 the tariff was 60 per cent
of value.
In 1939 the tariff was cut. It was
cut again in 1948 and in 1951 it was cut
still again.
Protects Worker’s Jobs
The tariff to protect American carpet
workers’ jobs is now 25 per cent of
value, which is a reduction of 58.3 per
cent in twenty-three years. Right now
carpet imports from foreign countries
have jumped so much that the foreign
products are coming in at a rate of 3,-
300,000 square yards a year. There has
been a 28 per cent increase in imports
of foreign carpets per year.
And for every yard of carpet im
ported one hour is lost to the Ameri
can worker in the mills.
What are the imports costing in
American jobs? It simply means that
three-weeks’ work per year is lost to
the American worker, thanks to the
foreign low-wage carpets imported into
the U.S.A.
Use Same Eauipment
Foreign rug and carpet manufacturers
use the same equipment as we do—12, 15
and 18 foot looms, many of which have
been bought in the United States with
8
money given them by the Mutual Se
curity Program, and before that by the
Economic Cooperation Administration.
The foreign carpet maker not only
pays cheap wages, he copies the styles
and colors of the American carpets to
be sure they will be acceptable to the
American public; and he does not spend
advertising and promotion dollars, as
American manufacturers do, to pro
mote the sale of carpets in this country.
So the foreign carpets, made at low
wages, take a free ride at our expense.
Wages Make Difference
It would be fair if the tariffs on im
ported carpets and rugs were enough
to cover the difference in the wages
paid to the foreign worker and the
wages paid to the worker in our mills.
Then we could compete on a fair basis.
Buys Material Abroad
The carpet industry buys aU i
and a lot of its jute abroad, to ,pj
tent of $100 million a year, and
the foreign countries. But ^gs.
tries do not buy our carpets or
It would be a calamity if
on carpets were lowered today pjoy-
it would cause lost time and joiV'
ment in our plants. America ha
ered its tariffs 70 per cent gjicer
It is about time the American
got a break.
r> 0"
REMEMBER: EVERY
FOREIGN CARPETS MADE AT ^0
WAGES and IMPORTED INTO
U.S. MEANS ONE HOUK
WORK IN AN AMERICAN
MILL.
T VOW FREE
Chest X-RAY
HERE
»«8fLEX
Karastan People
Get Chest X-Rays
(Story on page one)
The X-ray trailer is pictured above
at the Leaksville plants. Shown getting
an X-ray is Fletcher Joyce of Karastan.
The technician is Carl Rowell of the
State Health Dept. Picture at right
shows close-up as Elizabeth Parrish,
also of Karastan, is placed in position
at the X-ray machine by Mr. Rowell.
FIELDCREST MILL WHI^